The USA is still a worthy destination for others from war-torn and impoverished nations. New Americans come to work hard and invest in a brighter future for their children. My grandparents settled in North Dakota a century ago and today our family has grown to contribute in areas of business, law, social work, education, and engineering. Both my parents, as second generation Americans, contributed to the nation's greater good by raising funds that aligned with their values. I am privileged to have the capacity to follow in their example. 

Here's my first poem for November:

November 1, 2023

Ravaging the Beet,

Here’s the secret;

This is why I’m still alive

The pond lies quiet as a still life

Tomorrow it will flutter like a lark’s wing

And the milk with curdle in the pan,

The fish will not clasp the line, And no one

can tell me that the beet doesn’t resent

being skinned and eaten, and every meal

isn’t a shit show of exploding war crimes

that none of us will know, I want

to meet the vegetable that wishes to be speared,

am I to think that life is ravage all the time? every day

on earth, such small wars should be enough

to keep the bigger ones at bay, let’s just

focus on the tiny conflicts that happen

every day with our daily bread.

Elizabeth Rose